The Tampa Bay Lightning should be looking to add to their roster this off-season. Their bottom six, in particular, could use a boost, and this year's free-agent market has the potential to offer multiple solid options to consider.
One player who the Lightning should seriously consider pursuing if he hits the free-agent market on July 1 is Carolina Hurricanes forward Jack Roslovic.
Roslovic, 28, has shown throughout his career that he can produce offense in a bottom-six role, and this has certainly been the case with the Hurricanes this year. In 81 regular-season games this year with Carolina, he had 22 goals and 39 points. He also currently has one goal, three points, and a plus-1 rating in five post-season games thus far for Carolina.
If the Lightning signed Roslovic, he could slot nicely at their third-line center spot. However, his versatility also allows him to play on the wing, so he could fit in multiple spots. In addition, he would be a clear choice for their second power-play unit because of his scoring ability.
Ultimately, the Lightning should be aiming to address their secondary scoring this summer, and bringing in a player like Roslovic could help things on that front. It will be intriguing to see if he will hit the market and the Lightning end up pursuing him from here.
Lightning Have Intriguing Off-Season Target In Senators Forward
The Tampa Bay Lightning should be busy this off-season. While they undoubtedly had a strong regular-season, they struggled in the playoffs, losing in five games to the Florida Panthers in the first round. With this, it would not be particularly surprising if the Lightning looked to make some tweaks to their roster this summer.
One specific area the Lightning could look to address this off-season is their bottom six. It is fair to state that they would benefit by adding more secondary scoring, and one pending unrestricted free agent who could give them just that is Ottawa Senators forward Adam Gaudette.
Gaudette, 28, signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Senators during this past off-season and proved to be a complete steal for Ottawa in 2024-25. In 81 games, he scored a career-high 19 goals and recorded 26 points and a plus-12 rating. He was also impactful for the Senators during this short post-season run this spring, recording one goal, three points, and a plus-2 rating in six games.
With numbers like these, Gaudette demonstrated that he can be an impactful depth scorer in the NHL, and the Lightning could certainly use another of those. If the Lightning signed him this off-season, he would give them a very solid option for their fourth-line center role, at a minimum. However, he can also play the wing, so the Lightning could fit him anywhere in their bottom six.
Overall, with the Lightning needing more production from their bottom six, taking a shot on a player like Gaudette could be worthwhile. It will be interesting to see if they make a push for him this off-season from here.
